This application relates to a method for correcting for the presence of oxygen in an electrochemical test strip that makes use of a reduced mediator, to a meter and meter-test strip combination that perform the method in analyzing samples, and to a method and apparatus for determination of hematocrit. The invention also provides a method and apparatus for distinguishing between blood samples and control solutions applied to electrochemical test strips.
Small disposable electrochemical test strips are frequently used in the monitoring of blood glucose by diabetics. Such test strips can also be employed in the detection of other physiological chemicals of interest and substances of abuse. In general, the test strip comprises at least two electrodes and appropriate reagents for the test to be performed, and is manufactured as a single use, disposable element. The test strip is combined with a sample such as blood, saliva or urine before or after insertion in a reusable meter, which contains the mechanisms for detecting and processing an electrochemical signal from the test strip into an indication of the presence/absence or quantity of the analyte determined by the test strip.
Electrochemical detection of glucose is conventionally achieved by applying a potential to an electrochemical cell containing a sample to be evaluated for the presence/amount of glucose, an enzyme that oxidizes glucose, such as glucose oxidase, and a redox mediator. As shown in FIG. 1, the enzyme oxidizes glucose to form gluconolactone and a reduced form of the enzyme. Oxidized mediator reacts with the reduced enzyme to regenerate the active oxidase and produce a reduced mediator. Reduced mediator is oxidized at one of the electrodes, and then diffuses back to either be reduced at the other electrode or by the reduced enzyme to complete the cycle, and to result in a measurable current. The measured current is related to the amount of glucose in the sample, and various techniques for determining glucose concentrations in such a system are known. (See, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,284,125; 5,942,102; 5,352,351; and 5,243,516, which are incorporated herein by reference.)
One source of variability in the measurements achieved with such systems is the amount of oxygen that is present in the sample. (See U.S. Pat. No. 6,251,260) Oxygen can interact with the reduced enzyme to regenerate oxidized enzyme. Since this process results in oxygen consumption and not in the production of reduced mediator, glucose is consumed without generation of the charge carrier. As a result, the apparent glucose reading is low. Oxygen can also be consumed by reaction with reduced mediator to generate oxidized mediator, and this process also results in an artificially low value of glucose.
Because hemoglobin in red blood cells can act as a reservoir of oxygen, it has been proposed to structure electrochemical test strips so as to exclude red blood cells from the area where the enzyme and mediator are located. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,862)
It has been suggested to make corrections to the glucose reading based on a hematocrit determination on the sample. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,475,372 discloses a method in which a sample is introduced into an electrochemical cell having a working and reference electrode. A first electric potential is applied to the cell and the resultant cell current over a first period of time is measured to determine a first time-current transient. A second electric potential of opposite polarity is then applied to the cell and a second time-current transient is determined. The preliminary concentration of the analyte (CO) is then calculated from the first and/or second time-current transients. This preliminary analyte concentration, less a background value, is then multiplied by a hematocrit correction factor to obtain the analyte concentration in the sample, where the hematocrit correction factor is a function of the preliminary analyte concentration and the ratio of 2 current values within the time-current transient of the electrochemical cell. U.S. Pat. No. 6,287,451 discloses a method in which a hematocrit correction is made to analyte concentration, and measure of hematocrit is determined based on a measured resistance between a working electrode and a reference electrode.
Correction for the presence of red blood cells can be based on either or both of two approaches: a mobility-based approach that removes the affects of hematocrit to produce a glucose measure that is independent of the physical aspects of red blood cells, and a chemical approach that accounts for oxygen attrition which is related to the amount of hemoglobin as an oxygen carrier. The first of these approaches is reflected in a difference in slope of the glucose calibration curve as a function of hematocrit, and as such it is corrected by a multiplicative factor. The second approach is reflected in an offset among glucose calibration curves as a function of hematocrit and it is corrected with an additive factor. The present invention relates to corrections based on the second approach, although it can be used in combination with corrections based on the first approach.